Joseph (Jose) DeRivera St. Jurgo

Entrepreneur and philanthropist Jose DeRivera, born in Spain, became a successful businessman in New York City and in 1854 purchased South Bass Island and five other islands for $44,000.00. He encouraged settlement on South Bass Island, started the wine industry, and gave parcels of land for the Episcopal Church, the cemetery, and the first school. In 1866, he set up a trust to operate a five acre park and sold the park for $1.00 to the first trustees. The trust continues to be operated by three trustees chosen for life by the voters of South Bass Island. Shortly after setting up the trust, his business empire collapsed. Jose DeRivera and his wife Josephine are buried in Crown Hill Cemetery on the island on land he had donated.

Put-in-Bay, Ohio · United States